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NASA announces 2 potential launch windows for Artemis I

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Update: During an update on Monday, NASA announced that a 70-minute launch window will open Sept. 27 at 11:37 a.m., with a backup 109-minute launch window opening at 2:52 p.m. Oct. 2 for Artemis I.

Read our previous story below:

NASA is making headway toward its third Artemis I launch on the Space Coast.

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Earlier this month, the agency scrubbed its second attempt because of a hydrogen leak.

NASA still needs to make sure those repairs worked, and the agency must also resolve an issue involving the certification of the SLS rocket’s flight termination system.

NASA teams have replaced the seals on the SLS rocket’s core stage that were associated with a liquid hydrogen leak that forced the scrub of the agency’s second Artemis I launch attempt.

READ: Scrubbed Artemis I launch: What’s next?

Next up is a tanking demonstration to check the new seals under cryogenic, or super-cold, conditions. That could happen as early as the weekend.

NASA is still eyeing a third launch attempt for the first integrated flight of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft before the end of the month.

But there’s another hurdle.

TIMELINE: NASA scrubs launch of Artemis I due to technical issues with engine

Without a waiver, NASA will have to roll the SLS and Orion back to the Vehicle Assembly Building to rectify the rocket’s flight termination system by making sure the system’s batteries are properly charged.

During an update on Monday, NASA announced that a 70-minute launch window will open Sept. 27 at 11:37 a.m., with a backup 109-minute launch window opening at 2:52 p.m. Oct. 2.

READ: Brevard County breaks ground on new emergency operations center

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Adam Poulisse, WFTV.com

Adam Poulisse joined WFTV in November 2019.